


Found Out About You

by bmnugent



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Friendship, Kabby, Partying, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-07-27 03:34:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7601794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmnugent/pseuds/bmnugent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He had seen her the moment she walked into the house party with Aurora, but hadn't completely fallen head over heels in love with her until she punched him in the face for teasing her friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to give the older adults on The 100 their own college AU story. I'm not even ashamed I did this. It's posted on Tumblr, as well!

It wasn’t until three o’clock in the morning that her shift at the bar was over. 

She had spent the past seven hours pouring mixed drink after mixed drink, shot after shot, and all for a hefty wad of cash tips her manager had handed over to her at the end of the night. She’d like to think her skills as a bartender were improving, but she knew the outfit she had worn that night probably had something to do with the extra cash.

The smartphone in her back pocket vibrates, and she pulls it free from the confining material. It’s Aurora, a fellow bartender who’d gotten the night off and who also happened to be a good friend of Abby’s.

“What do you want,” Abby says into the phone as she fumbles with her car keys, walking through the back door of the bar that led to the small employee parking lot.

“There’s a party in full rage at Indra’s. We need to go.”

“Aurora, I just got off of work.”

“Even more of a reason to come hang out with me,” her friend pleads over the phone. “We won’t stay for more than two hours, I promise.”

Abby sits in her car, starts the engine, closes her door, and locks the vehicle as she balances the phone between her ear and her shoulder. She argues with herself that with her senior year of undergrad starting in less than a week, she deserved to have as much fun as possible.

Aurora’s apartment is only a few minutes away from the strip downtown, and when she pulls into her friend’s parking lot, she honks the horn once to alert Aurora of her presence. The dark haired brunette comes bouncing down the stairs, jogs to Abby’s car, and climbs in.

“You’re a babe, you know that right,” she says sweetly to her friend.

“Do we know anyone at this party,” Abby asks as she pulls her car back out onto the road, well aware of where Indra Porter’s rent house was located. She was host to some of the best parties on campus, and to be seen at one was guaranteed distinction from the rest of the student body.

“A few of my friends are there,” Aurora begins, flipping the sun visor down and opening up the compact mirror to check her reflection. “You’ll know me, though.”

It takes Abby a while to find a parking spot, but there’s an empty patch of grass against the sidewalk that she manages to pull her car into. The front lawn is covered in empty solo cups, there are people hanging against every surface of the house, and the front door is wide open.

Abby bites her lip when she realizes the music is so loud, it’s echoing down the street. She tries to calm her nerves, telling herself that everyone who lives down this road is probably at this party anyways, and follows Aurora into the crowded two-story house.

“Kitchen first,” her friend says, pushing her way through groups of drunk freshmen. The two girls come to a clearing, and that’s when she see’s him.

There’s a dark haired, dark eyed guy leaning against the kitchen counter. His hair is a bit messy, but it suits him. His plastic cup is resting cautiously against his lower lip as he waits for the guy next to him to finish telling his comedic story. He’s wearing dark, tight clothing that clings to every muscle of his body. One of his hands is shoved in his pocket as he drinks.

“Aurora,” Indra hollers over the music. The host of the party is standing at the head of the kitchen, near the endless bottles of liquor and plastic cups. She’s suddenly holding out a cup for Aurora to take, one full of a dangerous combination of alcohol and soda.

“Make her drink weak, Indra,” the mysterious dark-haired guy calls out from his spot, his eyes burning through Aurora. “We all know she can’t handle her alcohol.”

“Don’t be such a condescending ass, Kane,” she spits out.

“I’m condescending? Do you even know what that means, sweetheart?” 

Abby is watching the heated exchange, guilt flooding her veins for ever thinking this jerk was attractive in the first place. She’s met her fair share of his kind at the bar, and she’s suddenly never had the urge to punch someone in the face as much as she did in this moment.

“You know, I thought you were attractive at first… but then you opened your mouth,” she fires back, and Abby has never been in more love with her best friend.

“Hang on…I’ll go get you a tampon.”

There’s suddenly a ‘crack’ and before everyone knows it, Abby is holding her swollen fist in her free hand, silently screaming in pain. There’s a red mark where her fist has collided with Marcus’s eye, and everyone freezes.

“Whoa,” Aurora screams, setting her cup of alcohol down on the nearest object and running towards her friend.

“Holy shit,” comes a voice from behind her.

“Damn,” Indra says, laughing into her cup as she watches Marcus straighten up with winced eyes. “I like her,” she points to Abby.

“Oh my God, Abby… he was just… messing with me.” She dips down, bringing Abby’s hand up to examine the damage, then turns and checks on Kane who’s got his eyes locked on Abby. “Are you okay,” she asks him quickly.

“Wait, so you know his asshole,” Abby says, eyes growing wide at her mistake. The guilt floods once more, but for a different reason. Her hand forgotten, she stalks over to the many kitchen drawers. She finds a ziplock bag, fills it with ice, grabs a dish towel, and walks up to Kane, who flinches at her close presence. The company around them laugh at his gesture and she feels the embarrassment rush in. “Come on,” she says apologetically, grabbing him with her good hand and dragging him out through the kitchen door that leads to the somewhat empty backyard.

She’s too ashamed to stay in the kitchen full of howling drunks, so when he follows her and sits himself down on the concrete steps, she lets out a huff of air.

“I am… so sorry,” she says, cheeks filling with color. She offers up the makeshift ice pack, which he gratefully accepts and presses to his eye.

“I had it coming, I suppose,” he says after a moment, letting the coldness of the ice sooth his aching cheekbone. “I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner,” he admits with a bit of a chuckle. “She’s the only one in there who’s ever been witty enough to come back at me like that; we’ve been doing it for years out of fun,” he explains. “Aurora is my friend,” he promises. “She’s yours too, I take it?”

“Yes,” she sighs, wanting nothing more than to start the night over. “Listen, I really am sorry. Let me take a look. I’m an undergrad-“

“It’s fine,” he says, brushing it off. “You’ve got a mean right-hook, no doubt, but I’m okay.” He looks up and finds her almost pouting. He chuckles, pats the empty spot next to him on the staircase, and nods towards the vacant spot with his head. “Sit.” She does as she’s told, slowly coming to rest next to him. “Let’s start over.”

“I’d like that.”

He turns to her, holds his hand out, which she takes gently.

“Marcus Kane.” Despite the pain radiating from his cheek, he offers up a genuine smile.

“Abby Mitchell.”

In the harsh porch light, she can see how the tissue around his eye is starting to swell and bruise. She doesn’t think twice when she reaches for the icepack he’s forgotten about, and lifts it to his face.

“They’re never going to let me live that down, will they,” she asks softly, which earns a smile from him.

“No,” he answers honestly. “They won’t.” She’s gentle with how she presses the icepack to his face.

“There are worse things I could be remembered for, I guess.” He laughs at that, and she smiles along with him. She lifts the icepack away from his face and presses it against a new area of tender skin, when he hisses and reaches up to grab her wrist in an attempt to stop her.

She gasps at the suddenness; his unexpected touch, and his eyes soften. He gently releases the grasp he has on her wrist and looks up at her through his lashes.

“Sorry,” he apologizes, letting her press the ice to the most tender spot once more. They spend the next few seconds in an awkward silence as she continues to ice his eye.

“You go to school here,” she’s asking, placing the icepack between them on the step once she’s satisfied with her work.

“Political Science,” he states. “You?”

“Medicine.” He nods his head, raising his eyebrows in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“So that’s how you knew exactly where to hit, huh?”

“Shut up,” she scoffs, nudging him with her shoulder playfully, her embarrassment slowly fading away.

“What year are you in?”

“I’m an undergrad senior.”

“And this is only a wild guess, but I’m assuming graduation is high on the ‘To-Do’ list, so aggravated assault isn’t looking too good, is it?”

“You’re enjoying this too much,” she says with an eye roll. “Okay, I give. What can I do to make it up to you?” He shakes his head, a coy smile playing on his lips. What he really wants from her, he dare not ask yet. He knew asking her out on a date would be dangerous, and there was always the possibility of her punching him in the face again, so he decided to play it safe.

“I’ll tell you what you can do for me,” he says, pushing himself up from the concrete steps and coming to stand in front of her. “You can punch a creep who ever pulls that crap on you or Aurora if I’m not there to do it first.” Her heart skips a beat at his words and before she knows it, he’s holding out his hand to help her off from the steps. “Truce?”

She nods, her lips curling up into a shy smile, and tucks a piece of her curled brunette hair behind her ear.

“Truce,” she promises, slipping her hand into his and letting him pull her up effortlessly.

“Let’s get back in there before they think you murdered me,” he teases, and she turns around to face the door. He stands close behind her, so much so that she can feel the cotton of his t-shirt brush against the backs of her bare arms. She twists the doorknob, pulls the door open, and they step back into the crowded kitchen together.

“Hey, everyone. Fight Club is back,” Indra calls out, referring to Abby, who only blushes and hides her face in her hands, laughing into her fingers as the rest of the party-goers hoot and holler in amusement.

All it takes is for Marcus to wrap a friendly arm around her shoulders for her to pull her face out from her hands. He pulls her gently into his side, showing everyone that they’re no longer arch enemies. She can’t help but let her own arm wrap around his back, her hand coming to rest on his hip as she plays along with his display of friendly affection.


	2. Chapter 2

Saturday night and the bar is crazy. She’s pacing back and forth, her high pony tail swinging with every quick turn she makes drinks. She’s bobbing her head along to the song playing over the speakers, the DJ her manager has hired is watching from his spot next to the bar as she dances between helping customers, smiling to himself.

Aurora is working besides her, pouring a round of shots for a well known fraternity member, when she calls over to her friend over the music.

“He was asking about you today,” Aurora says as she fills the plastic shot glasses to the rim with an amber colored liquor.

“Who,” Abby inquires, too focused on her own drink orders to fully appreciate the conversation.

“Marcus,” is her friend’s flirty reply, to which Abby nearly drops the wine glass she’s pulled from the top stock.

“Probably to tell you what a psycho friend you have,” she mutters loud enough for the two of them to hear.

“Actually… he was asking for your number.” She whips her head around to look at her friend, slightly in shock and slightly in horror. “Relax. I told him he’d have to get it from you himself,” she explains.

Abby pushes the thought from her head, that the ridiculously handsome stranger she happened to punch in the face, would want to have anything to do with her and tries to get back to work. Through the corner of her eye, she can see a new patron take a spot at the bar and lean against the railing, waiting for his turn to be served.

And when she grows closer, the undeniable bruise around his left eye is how she recognizes him first. He looks pleased with himself, she notices.

“You came here with that black eye to get sympathy from the ladies,” she asks as she shoves her hands into her pockets. Out of all the beautiful women passing behind him, he’s only got eyes for her. He sets his phone down on the bar top nonchalantly.

“No, but if it works, I’m gonna have to get you to punch me in the face more often,” he teases, which earns him a playful gag from her.

“What are you drinking?”

“Three rum and Cokes. One with a lime.” She nods her head and makes a trio of perfectly poured mixed drinks, setting all three of them in front of him proudly. He hands over his card to start a tab, but she shakes her head.

“This round is on me. It’s the least I can do considering I almost took your eye out,” she says winking, watching with a smug look as he expertly picks up the three glasses, turning to find his friends, and leaving his phone behind on the bar as he crosses the dance floor. There’s no use in calling out to him now, so she snatches the phone from the bar top before someone can steal it.

Her finger hovers above the screen, a strong desire to unlock his phone and text herself with his number. She looks up to see him handing out two of the three drinks, keeping one to himself. He doesn’t look concerned that he’s forgotten his phone at the bar, and she convinces herself that maybe he doesn’t even know what he’s done.

There’s a sudden boldness that overtakes her as she turns her back to the alcohol hungry crowd, unlocking his phone with a simple swipe of her finger, and adding her name and number into his contact list. She figures this would be less awkward than him having to ask for her number and vice versa.

She’s quick to send herself a message and feels her own phone vibrate in her back pocket. The back of the bar, made entire of glass, serves as a mirror and when she picks her head up from his phone screen, their eyes lock.

She holds the phone up before turning around to face him.

“Forgot something?” She hands the phone back over and he nods his thanks. He leaves her without a word, returns to his friends, and takes a few sips of his drink. She doesn’t have much more time to watch him though, because more customers are hounding her for drinks.

At the next small break she gets, she turns her back to the crowd and pulls out her phone. There’s a list of unread text messages from various people, but two of the messages are from a number she doesn’t have saved in her phone. She recognizes the one she’s sent herself from his phone, but the more recent message in the thread isn’t from her.

 _‘I like your style, Abby Mitchell.’_ She can’t fight the smile that spreads across her face as she reads his message, one that was sent over an hour ago.

 _‘It’s easier this way, trust me,’_ is her reply back, but she doesn’t give him much time to answer. _‘Are you still here?’_

_‘We’re on the back patio. Come meet us whenever you get off.’_

The rest of her shift can’t go by fast enough, but when two o’clock rolls around, Aurora grabs her by the arm and drags her further away from the customers trying to take advantage of last call.

“He’s waiting out back for you,” she says with a bright smile.

“I know,” Abby confesses.

“I’ll cover for you. Go,” Aurora says, reaching for her friend to spin her around in the opposite direction, pushing her towards the bar’s back door that’ll lead out to the patio.

There are a few wooden tables and chairs spread out across the patio, most of them empty, but there’s one that draws her attention. Marcus’s head lifts at the sound of loud music from the opened bar door where Abby stands, and she smiles at him when he beckons her over.

Indra glances over her shoulder, recognizing the feisty female, and laughs.

“Is that Million Dollar Baby I see coming to join our table,” Indra says, earning a fit of laughter from Marcus and their other friend who Abby doesn’t recognize.

“Abby, you’ve already had the pleasure of meeting Indra,” Kane announces, opening his arm for her to walk into his side for a friendly hug. “This is Jaha,” Marcus says, moving on to the unfamiliar face. She takes her place close to him, wrapping her arms around him in a friendly hug, and decides to let her arms loosely hang around his waist as he introduces his friends.

“So this is the girl who knocked you on your ass,” Jaha asks, looking at Indra for confirmation. Marcus follows Jaha’s gaze, eyes burning into her at the misleading information.

“Alright, alright… so I exaggerated a bit.”

As the night progresses, Abby and Marcus are the only ones left sitting at the wooden table. She’s gone back to the bar a few times, despite it being nearly three o’clock in the morning, and grabbed a couple of beers for the two of them.

“Thanks,” he says as she passes one of the bottles to him. She takes a seat across from him at the table and takes a long sip of the cold beer. His eyes fall to her bare legs, admiring the way the string lights hanging above the bar’s patio outline her calves and thighs. “So… while we were waiting for you to come out here and join us, my friends made a collective decision that they’d like to hang out with you more.”

“Your friends… or just you?” She’s thankful for empty patio, that the downtown scene is thinning out as everyone makes their way home. He ducks his head down, as if he’s been caught in a lie, and then nods.

“Just me, but I do promise they like you… Indra, especially. And she’s the toughest one to win over.”

“I’ll sleep better knowing I’ve been accepted into your group of sadistic friends,” she says as she follows a bead of sweat down her beer bottle.

—

Monday morning, the first day of the semester, had come all too fast and her two hour long anatomy lecture couldn’t go by any slower. No matter how hard she tried to focus, she couldn’t concentrate on the material.

The only thing going through her mind was Marcus… and where he was on campus.

She’s grateful for the large stadium-styled room her lecture is in, because when her phone starts to vibrate from the text messages, no one is bothered by it.

_‘Happy first day of the semester.’_

_‘Boring is more like it.’_

_‘We’re in the courtyard whenever you get out of class.’_

For the next torturous thirty minutes, she listens to her professor drone on about human anatomy. When the clock on the wall hits 10:50 AM, she shoves her notebook into her bag, hops up from her seat, and bounces down the staircase that leads to the floor of the class.

She maneuvers through the crowd of people trying to leave the room, makes the trek across campus to get to the well known, beautiful courtyard. There’s an actual breeze on this already blistering day, and from where she rounds the corner, she spots him. She’s walking over to the group when Indra sees her.

“Rocky Balboa, how nice of you to join us,” she says as Abby grows closer.

“Leave my little UFC fighter alone,” Kane responds. Abby’s eyes meet his first, then take in her surroundings only to find there’s not a single space empty for her to occupy. Kane follows her survey and realizes what’s causing her discomfort. “Oh, here. Have my seat,” he says, making a move to give up his space for her, but she remembers she is their guest, these aren’t her friends just quite yet.

“No, don’t be ridiculous,” she says as she comes to stand in front of him, effectively pushing him back down into his spot. She shrugs her bag off and places it on the ground next to his. “I’ll just…” She eyes the spot on his lap, and slowly seats herself upon it. “Is this okay,” she asks softly, just loud enough for him to hear. She can’t miss the bright smile on his face, because it’s so close to hers.

“This is fine,” he reassures her, moving beneath her just a bit to give her more of his lap to rest on.

And as if it was just another part of their day, the rest of his friends carry on with their conversation of football, tailgating spots, which classes their taking, and so on.

Besides them, a person gets up from their spot on the edge of the water fountain, leaving a vacant seat for Abby to take. Both her and Marcus notice the girl leave, but neither one of them make a move to get Abby off from his lap.

“What class did you just get out of,” he asks, leaning back on his hands. He has to squint in the sunlight, but he see’s her perfectly. Her long hair flows when the breeze picks up, the baggy top she has on dips low enough for him to catch a glimpse of skin not covered by the black sports bra she has underneath.

“Human Anatomy.”

“Sounds interesting,” he comments, slightly occupied by the fact this beautiful girl has taken it upon herself to rest against him.

“What about you? What classes do you have today,” she asks, reaching up with one hand to slip the stray pieces of hair behind her ears.

“None,” he says with an amused grin.

“Why are you on campus then?”

“To see you.” The words temporarily make her forget how to breathe and her heart hurts from beating so hard. “And to see them.” He’s pointing to Indra and Jaha who are sharing a pair of headphones, both leaning in towards one another to watch something on Indra’s phone. “But mostly you,” he adds, noting the way she blushes from his confession.

There’s no time to respond, because there’s a fellow college student headed over to take residence in the empty spot besides them.

His hands grip her waist and she loves the feeling of it, how much of his hands take up space on her body. He lifts her up, only for a second, as he repositions himself so the newcomer and comfortably sit. She falls back against his lap and when his hands fall from her sides, she wants nothing more than for him to put them back.

Her stomach suddenly betrays her, lets out a loud rumble, and Marcus gives her a concerned look.

“Are you hungry? We can go grab lunch if you want,” he offers, not paying any mind to another female who’s walked up to them, blonde hair and with a cigarette hanging from her lips.

“Who’s this,” Diana Sydney asks, plopping down on the ground where Jaha’s feet are, slinging off her backpack and blowing out a puff of smoke out into the air.

“Diana, this is Abby. Abby, this is Jaha’s girlfriend, Diana,” Marcus introduces them. Abby leans over in her spot on Marcus’s lap, extending a hand out to the other girl. Marcus sucks in a quick breath as she moves, her jean shorts rubbing in all the right spots against him, and notices the black lace peeking out from behind the waistband of her bottoms.

The two girls shake hands and Abby reclines back against her new friend.

“We’re gonna go grab some lunch. You guys want to tag along,” he speaks up, desperately wanting to get out from underneath Abby’s body before anything embarrassing could happen.

The rest of his friends shake their heads, shrug off the idea, and remain where they are in the courtyard.

“Guess it’s just you and me.”

She reluctantly stands from his lap, reaches down to grab her bag, and walks off with him. Diana’s eyes follow and take in how close they walk together, how their arms touch with every step they take… how comfortable they look together.

She takes another puff of her cigarette and looks up at Jaha.

“Callie is not gonna like this,” she mutters, throwing her cigarette bud near her feet and stomping out the embers.


	3. Chapter 3

Days go by without either one of them seeing each other again, but she makes it a point to text him at least twice a day: once in the morning when she wakes up and once before she falls asleep at night. They’re friendly messages, nothing too eager or flirtatious, with a few exceptions from last night’s text exchange. 

He finds himself checking his phone more often as the days progress, wishing she’d text him more frequently, but he chalks it up to her being busy with work or school. And after checking his phone for the umpteenth time that day, he unlocks his shared apartment and steps into the living room to find Diana in the kitchen.

“Classes over for the day,” she asks, trying to keep conversation light.

“Last one was cancelled. So here I am.” He drops his keys onto the kitchen counter and grabs a cold bottle of water from the fridge. 

“You just missed Jaha,” she says from where she stands in front of the sink, washing dishes from her and Jaha’s dinner date the night before. “He left for his night class a few minutes ago.” She glances over her shoulder to look back at him and catches him thumbing through his phone. “Marcus,” she says flatly, letting the dishes fall into the sink, forgotten.

“What?”

“You know _what_. That girl… Abby?” He pushes himself away from the counter, groaning in frustration. He makes a move to leave the kitchen and maneuvers through the apartment to get to his room down the hallway. “What are you expecting to happen?”

“She’s a friend. I like her. Indra likes her. Jaha likes her.”

“And how do you think Callie will like her,” she asks, finally, unable to stop the words that leave her mouth.

“Why does that even matter,” he stresses, falling back onto his bed with both hands clasped behind his head. “She left me. Remember?” Diana leans against his doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Yeah, because _you_ weren’t ready for a serious relationship.”

“There was more to it than that, Diana, and you know it.”

“How do you think she’s going to feel when she see’s this Abby girl hanging around all of us?” She ducks her head to catch his brown eyes. “Around you? I’ll tell you how. She’s going to feel forgotten, replaced… betrayed.”

“We can all be friends,” he says weakly.

“I’m not saying we can’t… I’m just asking you to be careful,” she pleads softly. “Callie was our friend first.” And with that, Diana falls out from his room and walks back into the kitchen where she resumes her previous tasks. 

He lets out a long sigh, stares up at the ceiling, and closes his eyes when he feels the start of a migraine coming. Callie would always hold a special place in his heart. She was the first girl he had attempted a relationship with. She was beautiful, smart, all of his friends adored her, but as the months together progressed, he lost interest in her. 

It was horrible, he knew. He had never intended to hurt her, to send her storming out from his apartment with a few unwelcome tears streaming down her face, but he had honestly thought he was doing the right thing by cutting her loose before she had gotten too emotionally invested.

Abby, on the other hand, was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. There was something about her that kept him guessing, kept drawing him in, and no other girl had ever managed to do that. Not only was she smart and beautiful, like Callie, but down to earth and confident all in one, stunning package.

He reaches up with his hand, letting his fingers pass over the still tender skin from where she had punched him nearly two weeks ago, and smiles. It still ached, much like his heart, a constant reminder that her perfect soul existed… and is interested in him.

Giving in to temptation, he reaches for the phone that’s in his back pocket, and opens their shared text message thread. He begins typing, erases his message, shakes his head, and tries to think of something clever enough to get her to come over to the apartment. He repeats the process a few times before coming up with something he’s almost positive will work.

_‘Hey. I know it’s getting late, but I was wondering if you’d like to come over to my apartment and watch a movie?’_

He holds his breath as he presses the send button, lets his phone fall to his chest, and waits nervously for her text back. 

Would she reject his offer? Make some excuse about homework or studying to get out of it?   
 His phone vibrates.

_‘I’d love to. Should I pick up dinner on the way?’_

He smiles.

—

There’s a knock on the front door, and Marcus is all too happy but to answer it. One hand nervously running through his hair. He lets his hands fall to either side, shakes them quickly, and then opens the door to reveal a homely looking Abby.

Her sandy brunette hair had been straightened, her face is free of any makeup, and she’s dressed comfortably in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. In her arms is a brown paper bag, filled with what smells like Chinese food.

“Is that what I think it is,” he asks, taking the bag from her and inviting her into his apartment. She toes off her shoes at their door, kicks them with the rest of the pairs, and slowly follows him into the kitchen. “How much do I owe you,” he asks, unloading the contents of the bag. 

She’s too caught up in memorizing every detail of his apartment; the neatness of it all, especially for two boys to be sharing it. There’s a large flatscreen television mounted to an all glass coffee table that’s pushed up against the wall, a leather couch that sits across from it, and two Xbox controllers that sit on the wooden coffee table. There are movie posters, football paraphernalia, and framed vinyl records that decorate the walls of the apartment, and it excites her even that much more to see his bedroom.

Across the living room, there’s a sliding glass door hidden by a series of plastic panels. It leads out to a small balcony that overlooks the rest of the campus, big enough for a small set of patio furniture. From where she stands in the kitchen, she can make out the familiar blonde who’s sitting in one of the padded-wick seats, smoking a cigarette.

“Don’t worry about it. You bought me lunch last week, remember?” She begins uncovering the containers of lo mein noodles and fried rice. “You think Diana wants some food,” she asks, pointing out to his friend who’s out on the balcony by herself.

“I think she and Jaha already ate, but we can leave out some for her,” he offers, returning with two plates and utensils. He gives her first take, watching her fill her plate with food before he takes his turn. “So.. what are you in the mood to watch,” he asks, leading her across the apartment and into his bedroom. 

“Something scary,” she decides, coming to stand in front of a bookcase that houses his DVD collection. It’s also home to a few framed pictures, which she takes time in studying.

He grabs the first scary movie that comes to mind, pops it into his gaming console, and nods over to his bed, which is pushed up against the window. She climbs up first, making herself at home with one of his pillows behind her back. She rests the plate of Chinese food in her lap and waits for him to join her on top of the bed before she starts eating.

The eat together in a comfortable silence. He pauses the movie to bring their empty plates into the kitchen, where he runs into Diana coming back inside from the patio. She notices the two empty plates in his hands and narrows her eyes.

He dismisses her judgmental looks and slips back into his bedroom, closing the door to give them some privacy and flicking off the lights. She glances at the alarm clock on his nightstand, notices how it’s almost eleven o’clock, but can’t convince herself that it’s late enough to actually go back to her own apartment.

For the next two hours, they sit close together on his bed, watching the horror movie. There’s a few scenes that make Abby nearly jump out of her skin, effectively scooting her closer to his body. He smiles to himself when the scariest part of the movie plays, making her loop her arm through his and bury her face against his shoulder, slightly peeking over his arm.

“Abby,” he says her name softly, lifting his arm to get her to watch the rest of the movie.

“No,” she pleads, clinging tighter to him. “Don’t make me watch it.”

“You picked this,” he reminds her. “You don’t like scary movies?”

“I hate them,” she confesses. It takes him a few seconds, but he understands her motives for playing a scary movie, and smirks.

“Come here,” he murmurs, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her across the bedspread, closer against his body. Her head rests against his chest, against the crook of his shoulder, and she wonders if he can feel how fast her heart is beating whenever she feels his hand smooth back her hair. She savors the way his fingers gently rake through her thick curls and closes her eyes at his touch, softly sighing against his shirt. 

—

The movie ends, they reluctantly pull away from each other, and she slips off from the bed, stretching her arms above her head and yawning. It’s 1:36 in the morning and she’s got class in six and a half hours.

“Thanks for inviting me over. I had fun.” Her voice is heavy and he feels bad for keeping her up so late.

“I’m sorry the movie ran so late,” he says, walking her out from his room and into the living room, where her shoes are thrown with his. 

“Don’t be. I like staying up late,” she says with a wink, pulling her shoes on.

“You drove?”

“Walked, actually. My building is a street over.” He nods, bending at the waist to slip on his own shoes. 

“I’ll walk you home then.” It’s not much of an offer, because she knows he’d still do it even if she turned him down. 

 He grabs his keys and they’re off, walking side by side down the dim lit sidewalk.

“So… Diana lives with you and Jaha?” He shakes his head.

“She’ll sleep over every now and again, but she’s got her own dorm somewhere on campus.”

“I don’t blame her for it. Those dorms are miserable.”

They make small talk effortlessly, and when they make it to her building, she slows to a stop.

“Well… this is me,” she says, pointing up to the apartment complex. “Thanks for walk-.”

“Can I kiss you?”

She swallows hard at the unexpected question, her brows knitted together in confusion at the suddenness of it all. She’d been thinking about this for quite some time… since the night at the party, she realizes. But she nods her head, regardless of the butterflies in her stomach.

And when he starts to lean in, she finds herself frozen in her place. She can’t help but close her eyes when she feels him close, his lips brushing ever so gently against hers. She’s not even sure if she would classify it as a kiss because it’s so light. Her head tilts back to give him a better angle, her lips seeking him out this time. She captures his bottom lip between her own, drawing it into her mouth to gently suck on. 

Time seems to be standing still. There’s no other care in his world in this moment, except that her lips are on his and she’s kissing him. He wants to touch her… needs to touch her.

His hands pull at her waist, fingers digging into her muscles as he closes the space between them and drags her closer. She gasps when their chests meet and he takes the opportunity to deepen their kiss, but she pulls away teasingly, biting her bottom lip and leaving him breathless. Her hands come up to press against his chest, keeping some distance between them so he won’t try to kiss her again.

“You asked for a kiss, not a make-out session,” she whispers before taking a step back, towards her apartment. “Don’t make me punch you again.” He licks his lips and watches helplessly as she walks away from him, determined to kiss her again… and soon.

“Abby,” he calls out to her when she makes it to the highest step of the staircase. “Goodnight.”

Her smile melts his heart every time he sees it, and he vows to himself, that as long as he’s with her, he’ll try to see that beautiful smile every day. 

“Goodnight, Marcus.”


	4. Chapter 4

Friday morning, she finds herself exhausted from spending the night at Marcus’ apartment, but the yawning and bags underneath her eyes are worth, she decides.

Her phone vibrates on the hard wood of the desk in the library, scaring the life out of her and causing her to jump in her seat. So engrossed in one of her numerous medical journals, she wills her heart to return to a regular pace before she picks up her phone.

_‘Location, please. I have a surprise for you.’_

_‘Library. Second floor.’_

She places her phone against her book bag that occupies the chair next to her before diving back into her studies.

He sweeps the hair away from her neck, lowers his head close to hers, and whispers into her ear. She can’t help the shiver that courses down her spine, and he notices it.

“Good morning.” 

She smiles despite herself, and her eyes follow his hand, which comes out from behind his back to set a cup of coffee in front of her on the table. ‘Abby’ is written in black marker against the paper of the cup and her heart swells with appreciation.

“Marcus,” she says, drawing his name out lovingly. “What’s this,” she asks picking up the coffee and lifting the lid to smell the sweet aroma.

“Well… I figured you’d be tired from the late night we had,” he says, raising his eyebrows suggestively, which earns him a roll of her eyes and a smile. “Just a little something to start your morning,” he says, nodding towards one of her many books that are laid out on the library table in front of them.

She looks up from the coffee to find his gaze trained on her lips. He knows he’s been caught, so he drags his eyes to meet hers and the grin that forms on his face isn’t as subtle as he thinks. She knows what he’s thinking about, because she’s guilty of the same thoughts.

Their kiss was the only thing she was able to think about the night before, it was the first thing that had popped into her head when she woke up, and it was the cause of her lack of concentration in lecture that morning.

“So Jaha is throwing a pool party later tonight and he wanted me to extend the invitation.” She know she should decline and use the free time to study. It wasn’t often she had a Friday evening off, but she couldn’t find it within her to turn him down. And the thought of him shirtless wasn’t helping.

“I don’t know.” The uncertainty is clear in her voice, so he tries again.

“It’ll be fun. Just come hang out for a few hours. Then you can go back to studying if you want.”

—

She makes the five minute walk down the street in a pair of short white-washed jean shorts and a crop top that flows with every step she takes. She had thrown her hair up into a messy bun, anticipating being thrown into the pool at some point in the night. 

When she reaches their apartment, she can already hear the splashes and screaming from the resident pool in the middle of the apartment complex. Instead of heading up to their apartment, she simply follows the noise and is rewarded with a path that leads straight to the pool.

It’s early in the afternoon, the sun is still bright and high in the sky, and when she see’s exactly what she came for, a shirtless Marcus Kane, she smiles… wide.

Indra is the first one to notice her and makes a swift move to let her into the gated pool area.

“Chuck Norris, I was starting to think you wouldn’t show,” Indra teases, pulling the iron gate back and letting Abby walk through. Indra is the one to initiate the contact, to Abby’s surprise, and pulls her into a swift, friendly hug. “Make yourself comfortable. There’s beer, water, and Jaha just put some burgers on the grill.”

Marcus is occupied with Aurora, David, and Diana in the pool, currently in the midst of an intense game of chicken. Abby laughs to herself at how ridiculous the four of them look and makes her way to one of the tables to deposit her belongings. 

Quickly, she shimmies out of her shorts and pulls the top over her head, folding her clothes neatly. She hears a scream, splashes, and things go relatively silent for a few seconds. 

Before she knows it, a pair of strong, wet arms wrap around her from behind and lift her up into the air. The sun feels good on her face, and she can’t help but shutter in his arms at the two different sensations; his body is cooled from the water and the sun’s rays against her skin are warm.

“There you are,” he says as he spins her around once, lowering her down until her tiny feet are firm against the wet concrete. Aurora is next to greet her, simply by wringing out the water from her long brunette hair, walking up to Abby, and pressing a wet kiss to her friend’s cheek. Abby turns to face him and struggles to keep her jaw from falling. 

If it’s from her not getting out much due to all the studying she’s partaken in the past four years or from just how perfect the way each little water drop trails down his chest, she isn’t sure, but there’s suddenly too many people around her and Marcus. It makes her wonder just how long she’ll be able to hold off on touching him. 

“You. In the pool. Now,” he says, sweeping her up into his arms despite her protests. She’s amazed at how effortlessly he’s able to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder. Her breasts press against his back and his hands cling to either of her thighs, his fingers gripping the skin just below her bikini bottoms. 

She’d let him throw her into the pool any day if this is how he’d do it.

He leaps off the edge of the pool, submerging them both in the deep end of the pool. She’s a bit disoriented upon going underwater, but she pops up just a few inches away from him upon surfacing. 

“Hop up,” he says, turning his back to her. She swims over, wraps her arms around his neck, throws her legs around his waist, and lets him swim both of them into the shallow end, where the rest of his friends are waiting for him.

Aurora throws him an inflatable pool chair, which he climbs onto. He reclines back, grabs Abby, and pulls her back into the chair with him. She’s resting dead center in his lap and she thanks her lucky stars for whatever she’s done to get her here.

“Heads up,” Aurora yells, tossing a canned beer up into the air, which Marcus catches only inches away from Abby’s head.

“Don’t you dare open it now,” Abby warns, watching with a playful smile as he brings the shaken can up to her face and pops the tab, spraying beer over the both of them. 

The sun starts to set after a few hours. One by one, the group slowly leaves the pool and heads back up to the apartment to continue their drinking, leaving only Abby and Marcus in the cool water. 

She’s switched positions on his lap, now straddling him atop the floating chair. His head is thrown back against the chair as they drift around the pool slowly, either cupholder built into the chair occupying both of their beers. 

The night sky above them is dark, but clear, and every star is bright and twinkling down on them. 

“Alright,” he starts, running his hands up her thighs and letting them rest on her hips. “Tell me something that no one else knows about you,” he challenges, reaching for his beer to take a modest sip. Her hands, which rest on either side of her on the floating chair, fall into the water and then rest low on his stomach. She slowly trails them up his chest, following with her eyes. Her fingers glide over his shoulders and lock behind his neck, resting her arms gently atop his shoulders.

“No one else,” she repeats his words and his nods for her to go-ahead. “Okay,” she draws the word out slowly, her fingers starting to play with the hair at the base of his neck. She’s twirling the damp locks of his thick hair around her finger when she finally thinks of something worth sharing. “I slept with my microbiology professor my sophomore year,” she says nonchalantly, letting one of her hands slip away from his neck to pick up her beer and drink.

There was no denying that it felt good to let loose with someone, to joke about something completely absurd. 

“Wha- you did _what_ ,” he’s asking with a dropped jaw, snatching the beer away from her hand in the middle of her sip.

“Kidding,” she says with a wicked smirk, replacing her hand back behind his neck. He lets his head fall back once more against the pool toy, letting out a sigh. “I did, however, suck his-“

“ _ABBY_ ,” he yells, leaning forward with wild eyes.

“I’m joking,” she struggles to say in between labored breaths. “Oh my God, I’m just pulling your leg. Calm down,” she giggles, dropping her forehead to rest against his as she blesses him with her beautiful smile and laughter. “I’ve never had a one night stand before,” she discloses truthfully, plucking her beer back from his hand.

“Neither have I,” he shrugs. “And I don’t plan on having one in the near future, either.” She licks her lips free of any beer. It’s a weird, but comforting idea that he’s never been caught in that situation. She shoves the beer towards him and cocks one eyebrow, implying that it’s his turn to tell her something. He laughs to himself and shakes his head at what he’s about to confess, because he knows it’ll sound ridiculous, but he doesn’t care. “I’ve never wanted to spend as much time with someone than I do with you.” She watches him closely as he quickly finishes what’s left of the warm beer, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Will you kiss me again,” she whispers, their shared beer and secrets forgotten.

His hand flies to the back of her head, pulling her in for a rough kiss. Lips smack, teeth clash, and tongues fight for control. She presses her forehead to his once more and rolls her hips as she slides further up his body, unable to get a good grip in the water. His hands slide up her sighs, getting her to sigh softly into his mouth, and his fingers dance up her spine, toying with the straps of her bikini.

Her lips curl against his, into a smile, through their kisses.

“Stop sucking face,” Aurora calls out from the balcony of the apartment, which towers over the pool. “Get in here.”

Reluctantly, the two pull away from each other and make the journey back up to the apartment. She’s pulled her shorts back over her bikini bottoms, but her shirt is tossed over Marcus’ shoulder as he carries the pool toy and empty beer cans. From down the hallway, they can hear the booming music that’s muffled behind the door. 

“This can’t be good,” she mutters as they grow closer. And when Marcus pushes the door open, Aurora comes into view, dancing in the middle of the living room. The coffee table has been pushed to the side. Jaha and David are seated on the couch, watching a drunk Aurora roll her hips to the music, while Diana bobs her head from her spot on the floor. 

“They wanted to see our routine,” she says, stretching her hand out for Abby to take.

“Aurora,” Abby warns, keeping her arms tight by her side. That part of her, the carefree and flirtatious part, was reserved for shifts at the bar. 

“Live a little. Come on,” she says, dancing closer to Abby, who only begs Marcus to stop the whole thing. But when he doesn’t, and Aurora drags her out into the middle of the living room, she shakes her head in disappointment. 

“So you two do this behind the bar every night,” Diana asks, watching in awe at how accustomed the two girls are with each other’s bodies. Aurora grabs the back of Abby’s head, pulls her body closer, rolls her hips as she straddles one of Abby’s thighs.

“We like to think it works,” the brunette says, nodding towards the three guys who are frozen in their place.


	5. Chapter 5

“You know you two could’ve stayed at my place, right,” he says with one of Aurora’s arms thrown over his shoulder. He’s taking small, balanced steps all while holding up his drunk friend, with Abby on the other side of her as they head to the next street over, to Abby’s apartment. They’re both too focused on the task at hand to notice the dark clouds rolling in and the faint sound of thunder off in the distance.

“Yeah, well… when she throws up, I rather it not be in your bathroom.”

“And you prefer it to be in yours?” 

“At least she’ll feel guilty if she vomits all over _my_ bathroom. I can’t say the same for you,” she explains with a small smile. And after a few torturous minutes of holding Aurora’s dead weight while they walk, they finally make it to Abby’s building. 

It’s nearly four o’clock in the morning and Abby knows she and her friend both have to be at the bar for their shift in twelve hours. When Aurora is safe and sound asleep on Abby’s couch, Marcus stands back and watches as Abby covers her friend with a blanket.

It’s the first time he’s been inside of her apartment and he doesn’t know why he expected anything less. It’s organized, neat, and a bit girly. Her throw pillows are all different, with abstract patterns. There’s black and white art hanging on her walls with a string of soft, white lights illuminating the living room. 

“Thanks for helping me with her,” she says, nodding towards their passed out friend, who’s gently snoring. He nods to acknowledge her appreciation.

“You work tonight, don’t you,” he asks and she nods slowly, almost pouting. “Okay, well… be careful and text me,” he instructs. She opens her mouth to promise him that she will, but the booming noise of thunder and lightening stop her. She glances over her shoulder at the window in her kitchen and notices the rain beating against the glass. “Did you plan this,” he’s asking, with narrowed eyes.

“Yes,” she says with sarcasm. “I slipped mother nature a twenty dollar bill on the way out and told her to call in a monsoon,” she playfully slaps him on the arm. “Guess we get to spend the night together after all.”

“Be still my heart,” he jokes, placing his hands over the left side of his chest. She’s turning away from him, headed for her small kitchen, when he reaches out to place a hand on her shoulder. He spins her around quickly, side steps to block her from the kitchen, and backs her up until she’s pressed against the back of her couch… the same one their friend is asleep on.

She grabs a fist full of his shirt and pulls him down for a slow, sensual kiss. His hands slide down her sides and stop when they get to her shorts, his fingers doing away with the button and lowering the zipper. He palms his way across her thighs, grabs her ass, and lifts her against the couch, placing her atop the cushions. Her legs wrap around his waist as he pulls her off from the couch in a haste, hoisting her up high against him. His head falls back as she towers over him, her hands clutching either side of his head as they kiss. 

Their kiss is sloppy, wet, uncoordinated, and no matter which angle she tilts her head, she can’t seem to get enough of him. She’s panting by the time he makes it to her room, their lips pulling apart with a wet ‘smack’ as he deposits her on the bed. He leaves her only for a second to gently close her bedroom door, as to not awake Aurora, and returns to find her propping herself up on her elbows.

His hands find her ankles and slowly trail up her legs, his lips following behind and placing tiny, open-mouth kisses to the skin he finds. It’s not until he reaches the insides of her thighs that she allows her eyes to slip shut. He returns his lips to hers as his fingers tickle the sensitive skin he finds before slipping into her shorts, pulling them down her smooth legs. Her own hands are doing away with his shirt and she smiles into their kiss when she’s able to touch him. 

He pulls back, ouch of her reach, and stares down at her in awe. He’s never seen someone more beautiful than her, with her chest heaving, wide eyes, swollen lips, and a bright smile. His fingertips trace a line from her bikini bottoms up to her navel, his touch causing her to flex her abdominal muscles in anticipation of what’s to come.

His thumbs brush against her ribs on either side of her, slowly tracing every inch of skin he can find. Her arms stretch above her head and he takes the hint to pull the top away from her body, letting it fall to the floor and join the growing pile of clothing. Rising to her knees, she plants her hands against his chest and pushes him to stand straight next to the bed. His cargo shorts are the next piece of clothing to go, and he stands before her in just his boxers, which are quickly becoming confining.

“I’m breaking my rule, you know,” she says, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him to lay on her bed. 

“Which is what?” His eyes are heavy with desire as he leans back on her pillows, watching with a wicked grin as she crawls up his body, straddling his lap. He’s never had trouble keeping his hands off of someone quite like he’s having trouble with her. It’s a good dilemma to have though, and he wishes she’d put him in it every night.

She keeps her eyes trained on him, even as he reaches up with a hand to cup her cheek, his thumb caressing her high cheek bone. His fingers push through her tied up hair until he reaches the black hair tie that holds her dusky brunette hair up in a messy bun. Gently, he pulls the tie out from her hair, and a cascade of damp curls fall to frame her face.

“Never sleep with the enemy before the first date,” she says, leaning over him and letting her lips tickle his ear. With his hand still tangled in her hair, he adores the way her features relax as he massages her scalp. “Marcus,” she murmurs his name, letting her head fall in the direction of his hand, encouraging him to keep going.

“Now that’s not the way you say an enemy’s name.” His fingers curl behind her neck and pull her down to reignite their kiss. Her hips roll against his teasingly and his hands fly from her neck to her waist, keeping her grounded against him. The hot friction every time she rubs against his hardness is almost too much, and she wonders if he can feel just how wet she is through their layers of clothing. “Abby.” She’s in love with the way her name falls from his lips, and she grinds against him to hear it one more time. 

“Hold that thought,” she says, leaning over him to dig around in the dresser that serves as a nightstand besides her bed. In the dark, he listens to the drawer slide out, the sound of a foil wrapper crinkling in her hand, and when a lightning strike outside fills the room for a brief second, he can see she’s holding a condom.

He plucks the package from her fingers, sets it down on the bed besides them, and works at the bikini straps that are tied behind her neck and back. The ties behind her back are first to be undone. His hands are idle at the ties behind her neck, and she catches his eyes before slowly nodding her head, giving him permission.

Blowing out a shaky breath, he slowly pulls the dainty string until the bikini top crumbles against her chest and falls to his. He’s blown away by her body, how beautiful she is, and for a moment, all he can do is stare up at her. 

“Wow,” is his breathless reply, which earns him another smile. But he doesn’t have much time to admire her naked chest, because she’s sliding down his body, kissing her way down his chest until her lips tease where the waistband of his boxers rest, low on his hips. His hands fly to her sheets, fisting the bedspread in an attempt to keep them away from pushing her down even further. “Abby, you don’t have to-“ She lifts the elastic band and his erection springs from the boxers, straining against his lower belly. 

“Lift,” is the only thing she says, and when his hips come off from the bed, she pulls the offending piece of clothing down his legs. It’s her turn to stare at him, in complete awe of how close to perfection he is. Her palms lay flat against the tops of his thighs and slowly trail up, one hand gliding over his hip while the other gently takes him into her grasp, sliding her fingers up his smooth skin at an excruciatingly slow pace. 

The noise that spills from his mouth is something between a strangled moan and an agonizing cry, and she stills her hand.

“You’re gonna wake Aurora up with all that noise, and I’m not so sure I’m ready for a threesome yet. I don’t like sharing,” she teases, watching with satisfaction as he throws his head back against her pillow in defeat. 

“Are you _trying_ to kill me?”

Her lips graze over the tip of his hardened member, pressing a light kiss there before she languidly takes him into her mouth. 

“Jesus Christ,” he hisses, one hand gently threading itself in her hair. Her mouth is wet, warm… tight. She looks up at him through her lashes as she pushes her tongue down the length of him, and then back up. One of her hands follows suit, adding pressure where her lips have just left. She descends once more until she can feel him grazing the back of her throat, and even with her hand wrapped around him, there’s still more left of him that goes untouched. 

She swallows, hollowing out her mouth, and sucks… hard. 

“Abby,” he pleads. He’s pulsing in her hand, in her mouth, and there’s a warm flutter in her belly at the thought of being the cause of all of this. She stops for a moment to look up at him, to see if he’s enjoying every second of it, but he suddenly switches their positions. 

She’s on her back now, his thumbs hooking into her bikini bottoms and roughly pulling them down her legs. Without wasting another second, he lowers his head until his tongue presses flat against her center. She draws her knees up, her toes brushing against his sides. Her hand is in his hair, clutching the thick locks as he finds the spot that makes her arch from the bed. His tongue passes over the sensitive bundle of nerves, over and over, and she suddenly feels as if she’s on fire.

“Oh my God.” Her voice is anything but a whisper and he stops to rest his chin against her tummy. He smiles at her pout, indicating he was doing something right.

“I’m starting to think you want that threesome.” She rolls her eyes, inhaling sharply upon the realization she’s grown dizzy from holding her breath.

“Come here.” 

“Gladly,” he murmurs, kissing his way up her body. Without a second glance, he grabs the foil package from the bed, tears it open, and rolls the latex down his length. He lowers himself, his skin flush against hers, and gently brushes the curls away from her face. “Ready,” he asks softly, barely over the sound of rain hitting the window. All it takes is a nod of her head before he’s snaking his hands behind her back, lifting her off from the bed just enough to push into her.

At the initial contact, her arms wrap around his neck, her head buried against his shoulder. He can feel her stretch to accommodate him and her hot breath against his skin. He presses a kiss to the side of her head, which she lets fall back against the pillow. He lets his forehead fall against hers, struggling to keep his eyes open as he stills to let her get used to him. He reaches out with one hand, placing it besides the pillow her head is against, while the other clutches her lower back, keeping her lifted against his body until he’s fully inside of her.

Her hands grip at his muscles, her nails rake down his back, and grip his waist. He takes the hint and starts a rhythm, one that’s not too fast or too slow, one that’s perfect. He picks his head up, just enough to get a good look at her, and speaks softly.

“Abby.” At her name, her eyes open slowly. Her lips are parted and he knows that if their friend weren’t asleep in the next room, there’d be nothing but cries and moans filling the air. It’s erotic, he thinks, having to keep so quiet and watching her trying to accomplish just that. He’s overwhelmed in that moment, with the feeling of her muscles clenching around him, how incredibly wet and warm she is, how soft her breasts are pressing against his chest. His head falls in the small space that’s left of her pillow, his lips seeking out her neck to suck at the sweaty skin there. “Fuck,” is all she hears in her ear, his voice shaky but close. 

“Don’t stop,” she pleads, drawing her knees further up and apart, allowing him to push deeper inside. He groans against her neck, can feel the sweat drip down his back as he picks up speed. He hits a certain spot, one that gets her to dig her nails into his shoulders, and suddenly she’s the one chanting the curse word into his ear. 

She can feel something uncoil inside, and before she knows it, she shuts her eyes and see’s nothing but white. She can’t help the cry that escapes her lips, so he swallows it with a kiss, sweeping his tongue into her mouth. She can feel the wetness dripping between their bodies, onto her sheets. His thrusts are rough now, unyielding, and once she regains consciousness, her lips curl into a lazy smile when she realizes how much noise they’re actually making. She thanks the lightning and thunder for being especially loud tonight, because the way her headboard hits the wall behind them would wake anyone up.


	6. Chapter 6

Days pass, turn into weeks, and it becomes abundantly clear that the two of them are inseparable. She’s not lost on the stares that other girls throw her way when she walks with him around campus, hand in hand. And when she comes out from the biology building, with her exam papers crushed in her hand, she notices the way other guys turn their heads as she screams her excitement of getting a ‘100/100 A’, jumps into Marcus’ arms, and kisses him senseless.

She finds herself at his apartment more often than hers, and consequently, a few of her personal items make permanent residence in his bedroom. First it’s a toothbrush, then a few outfits, a pair of shoes, and before she knows it, she realizes her parent’s are paying for an off campus apartment that she lives in less than half of the time.

It’s the middle of the semester by the time fall break comes around, a week long vacation for students and professors alike to forget about studying, exams, and homework, only for everyone to return the following Monday with a load of school work.

On this particular night, they find themselves in her apartment. He’s brought his laptop, apologizing for the slight distraction, as there’s a paper he wants to finish before the break officially starts.

“I have to finish it tonight if I’m going to spend all day with you tomorrow,” he explains, setting his things down in her bedroom before joining her in the kitchen. She was leaving tomorrow afternoon to fly back home for the break, leaving Marcus behind to fend for himself for a few days.

She’s dressed comfortably, in a shirt that exposes one shoulder and is long enough that it falls to her thighs, and a pair of leggings that stop at her ankles. 

She’s shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she holds a glass of red wine and stirs the contents of a skillet that’s sizzling on her stovetop. 

“I hate to say this, but you’ll probably end up waiting until last minute to write your paper anyway,” she bets, shooting him a doubtful look before sipping on her sweet wine. “Regardless of what role I play in your procrastination game.”

She couldn’t pinpoint when over the past couple of weeks they had turned into a domesticated couple, but it wasn’t important. She was enjoying every minute spent with him, loved learning new things about him, strived to grow closer to him. 

He steps behind her, arms wrapping around her and pulling her flush against him. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he presses a kiss to the side of her head, just above her ear, before he peeks down to see what she’s cooking. One of her arms covers his and her hand falls above the one he’s pressing against the flat of her belly. 

Once their dinner is cooked, she offers up his plate before following him into the living room. He sits himself down on the couch while she takes up space on the floor in front of him, using the coffee table to eat off of. Sit fits perfectly between his parted legs, both of them absentmindedly watching her television while eating.

After dinner is over and her kitchen is clean, he pulls out his laptop to reluctantly start on his paper. She’s saving the last of the dishes when he plops himself down on her couch and begins typing furiously. Silently, she sneaks behind him, wraps her arms around his neck, and presses a sweet kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“I’m going take a shower,” she whispers into his ear.

“You wait to tell me this now,” he complains, stopping his paper in mid-paragraph. 

“You’ll live,” she teases, pecking him one more time on the cheek before disappearing into her bedroom. He can hear the shower start, which only motivates him to type faster and get this assignment over with.

And half an hour later, when she steps out from the shower with damp hair, wearing nothing more than a baggy t-shirt and black panties, he’s still working on the end of the paper.

“You know, you could always finish it whenever I leave,” she offers, coming around the side of the couch to pull his laptop away. She sets it gently on her coffee table before extending a hand to pull him up. “Come to bed.” Her voice is soft and he suddenly realizes how much he’ll miss her these next few days.

—

She wakes up alone and it takes a few seconds for her to adjust to the bright sunlight that’s pouring in from her window. Her door opens slowly, and she smiles when she see’s Marcus backing up into her room while he holds a tray of assorted breakfast foods.

“About time you wake up,” he teases, setting the tray gently on her lap once she’s sitting upright in the bed, her back pressed against the headboard.

“What’s all of this,” she asks lovingly, reaching instantly for the mug of coffee he’s placed on the tray.

“I can’t let you travel on an empty stomach.”

“What did I do to deserve you,” she says after gulping down a warm sip of strong coffee.

“You punched me in the face,” he reminds her, making her snort in laughter and playfully push him away from her. She gets halfway through her breakfast before her phone starts ringing besides them on her nightstand. She puts the small breakfast tray to the side, swallows whatever food is in her mouth, and answers the call.

“Hey, mom,” she says lovingly into the phone, settling back against her pillows. Marcus watches the exchange with a warm smile upon hearing the adoration in Abby’s voice for the older woman. “Oh, nothing. Just woke up and now I’m having breakfast,” she says, extending one tiny bare foot into Marcus’ lap, her toes poking him in the stomach. 

He grabs her foot with one hand, bringing it closer to his mouth, and his lips press against the inside of her ankle. She closes her eyes at his touch and smiles as she listens to her mother over the line.

“Yeah, I’m all packed. My flight doesn’t leave until seven, though.”

His lips are making their way up her leg, to the inside of her knee where his tongue comes out to lick at the sensitive skin there. She half heartedly swats at him with her hand, trying to push him away, but it doesn’t stop him from climbing up her body.

“Okay, well… hurry home,” her mother says, her voice a bit strained. And when Abby hangs up with her mother, there’s a gnawing apprehension in the back of her head that she tries to shake away.

And hours later, he stands with her in the middle of the busy airport, going over a mental checklist. She stands proudly before him, not having missed anything on his list and when it’s time for her to go through security, he reaches out to readjust her backpack straps.

“I’ll be fine, Marcus. I’ve done this dozens of times.”

“Alright. Come here, then.” She walks into his embrace, their arms going around each other tightly. She knows it’ll only be a few days without him, but squeezes him a little extra tight anyway. 

“I’ll text you when I land,” she promises, never letting go of him even as she leans back to look at him. He nods, lowers his head, and presses a sweet goodbye kiss to her lips. “I’ll see you in a few days,” she says, slowly untangling herself from his arms. 

It takes everything within him not to say the words ‘I love you’ as she walks away.

—

Her plane lands just after midnight, but it doesn’t stop her from pulling out her phone and texting Marcus that she’s made it home safe. She navigates through the familiar airport with her carryon backpack strapped around her shoulders, and when she spots the familiar face waiting for her near luggage claim, she has to do a double take.

Jake Griffin is leaning against a pillar with arms crossed over his chest, and when he catches a glimpse of Abby, he pushes himself away from his spot to walk towards her.

“What are you doing here,” she asks curiously when he’s close enough. She’s pleasantly surprised by the hug he inflicts on her before pulling back to look at her.

“Your father asked me to pick you up,” he explains with a charming smile she remembers well.

“Couldn’t be bothered to do it himself, right,” she says, pushing past him to pick up her suitcase. 

“Abby,” he calls out to her, giving her a well knowing look. It wasn’t that her father hadn’t wanted to come pick her up himself. He had been not so subtly throwing Jake Griffin at her ever since she could remember, practically begging her to marry him.

It wasn’t’ that she didn’t like Jake. They had gotten along fine during their numerous dates back when she lived here, and she had thought for a brief moment that maybe they could actually work. But the interest wasn’t there; she had no desire to stay in her hometown and he had no desire to leave it.

“Sorry.” They’re walking together towards his truck when he takes the heavy luggage from her hand, hoisting it up effortlessly and into the backseat of his truck. She walks around to the passenger side and climbs in besides him, buckling herself in and preparing for the three hour drive back to their hometown. “It’s good to see you, Jake,” she says, finally, as he slowly exits the parking garage.

The rest of their trip back home consists of her fighting off sleep, but failing quickly. Jake doesn’t mind, tries to keep his eyes focused on the dark highway stretched out in front of him, but can’t help when his gaze moves over to the woman in the passenger seat.

It was like she was some kind of stranger now, he thinks sadly. This wasn’t the Abby Mitchell he remembers. He’s pulled from his regrets about not being more aggressive with their relationship when her phone, which is resting in his cup holder, comes to life with a text message alert.

His eyes flicker to Abby, notice how she’s sound asleep in her seat, and picks up the phone slowly. It’s from someone named Marcus Kane.

‘Glad you made it home safe. Get some rest, yeah? Call me in the morning.’

—

After dropping Abby off at the airport, he had gone to the library to finish up whatever was left of his paper. It had turned into a painstaking process and before he knew it, the time had disappeared. 

He had received Abby’s message about her landing almost an hour ago and had messaged her back, but her lack of a reply confirmed his suspicions of her having fallen asleep.

It’s nearing one o’clock in the morning by the time he calls it quits, packs up his things, and makes the drive back to his apartment building. He slows his pace as he grows closer to his door, familiar voices muffed behind the heavy wood. His keys rest between his fingers, but he figures since his roommate seems to be awake, he opens the door without using them.

When he steps through the door, Diana is the first person he recognizes. Sitting next to her on the couch is another girl, with jet black hair and Marcus freezes in his spot when he realizes who it is.

“There he is,” Diana says with a mischievous grin, causing their guest to turn and greet him. 

Callie Cartwig sits before him on the couch, looking more beautiful than the day he had first met her, and the guilt comes flooding in at his thought. He’s thrown back into his Junior year, nearly three years ago, upon seeing her. 

Her black hair had gotten longer, and it’s straightened to perfection. Her wide brown eyes are looking up at him in excitement, her smile hesitant as she slowly gets up from the couch. 

“Callie,” he says, still unsure if he’s dreaming or if she’s really standing in front of him. 

“Don’t just stand there. Come here,” she exclaims finally, stepping up to wrap her arms around his neck. His own arms feel like lead and he can’t seem to lift them up to reciprocate her hug, but somehow or another his hands find her lower back and he figures it’ll have to do. “What’s it been? A year? Two?”

“Three,” he corrects her after she takes a step back, giving him some room.

“Well, I’m going to call it a night,” Diana says from the couch, pushing herself up and headed towards Jaha’s bedroom, leaving Callie and Marcus alone. 

The awkwardness and tension are almost too much, and he makes a move for the kitchen.

“You um… you want a beer or something,” he asks, grabbing one for himself. 

“Sure,” she says sweetly, keeping her distance and watching as he pops the top off of two bottled beers. He nods out to the balcony, where she follows him, and together they sit on the patio furniture while he contemplates telling her about Abby. He’s stuck, though, because he’s not sure what to actually tell Callie. So instead of talking, they sit together in the night and just drink. The silence is killing her. This used to be her best friend. He used to talk to her about everything. “Remember that time we went out for Diana’s birthday and she threw up in the middle of City Bar,” she speaks of the memory suddenly, earning a genuine smile from him.

“How she had taken that Jagerbomb and couldn’t stomach it?” He’s laughing now as the rest of the night comes to him. “We had to drag her out of that place.”

“What about the night David started dancing with that girl… oh, what was her name?” She’s tapping the armrest of the chair with her bottled beer, as if the motion will somehow jog her memory.

“Katie,” he suddenly answers. “He used his, ‘What would you do if I kissed you right now’ move, and it had actually worked.”

“That was the same night Jaha almost broke a pool stick over that guy’s head for hitting on Diana,” she says, laughing into her beer. He watches her with a warm smile, relieved that they were falling back into their effortless friendship. He hadn’t known it before, but now he knew… he had missed Callie.

“If we’re gonna talk about everyone’s best night downtown, we can’t forget yours,” he teases.

“Shut up,” she begs, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Getting up on a stage to dance is hardly worth teasing me for.” 

“Getting up on the stage was one thing,” he laughed. “Falling off of it was another,” he says, nearly choking on his beer as the memory becomes more vivid.

“Oh, and what about you,” she shrieks, pulling her feet up into the chair with her. “Getting up onto the bar top, shirtless? Still think that was a good idea?”


	7. Chapter 7

“Come on,” she begs. “Just one night. That’s all I’m asking for.” 

It’s nearly nine o’clock in the evening when Callie comes over to the apartment, dressed and ready for a night downtown. Diana has all but jumped at the chance to go, disappearing into the bedroom and emerging minutes later in a similar styled outfit as her friend. Jaha had only shrugged, indifferent about going out, and Indra had busted through the door after receiving a text from Diana saying they were headed downtown.

Marcus, on the other hand, was apprehensive about the whole thing. But it’s too late to call the whole thing off, because all of his friends are standing around his apartment and ready to leave in a minute’s notice.

So the group piles into Diana’s car, and after a ten minute ride with music blaring from the speakers, they make it downtown. The walk to the first bar only takes a few minutes, and less time for everyone to order a drink. 

Marcus watches his friends, slowly sipping at his drink. Callie isn’t awkward around them, makes conversation easily, even gets Indra to loosen up a bit. Before he knows it, he’s smiling more, laughing more, talking more. Throughout it all, no one brings up Abby, and neither does he because he knows things will get awkward… and fast, and he rather not have this conversation with Callie drunk and around a crowd of people.

He manages to keep his distance away from Callie throughout the night, but it’s not until they make it to another bar later on in the night, that she starts to sneak closer to him. And when they walk into the familiar pub, it’s Aurora who’s working behind the bar. He stalls in his spot, wondering how he’ll be able to convince Abby’s best friend that him being out with another girl ‘isn’t what it looks like’.

Slowly, he pushes his way through the crowded bar until he finds an empty spot at the bar. Aurora spots him immediately and rushes to him, offering him a bright smile.

“What brings you here? Missing Abby so much already, you had to come drink your sorrows away,” she teases him, 

“Here with the crew,” he says honestly, deciding it’s best to leave Callie’s name out of it.

“Have you talked to her recently?” He nods, watching as Aurora starts to pour him a drink.

“Talked to her this morning, actually. Sounded like she was enjoying herself.”

“Who wouldn’t with a place like her parent’s.” He looks puzzled, and Aurora can only imagine he has no idea about the type of money their mutual friend comes from. “Both of her parent’s are doctors,” she explains. “Has she ever shown you a picture of the mansion she lives in?” He shakes his head, mouth slightly parted in shock that he hadn’t known such a big detail in Abby’s life. “While I slave over this disgusting bar, working one of her shifts, she’s probably sipping on a glass of pinot noir and watching the sun set across from the lake.”

He’s too lost in Aurora’s words to notice Callie come up behind him. It’s not until his ex-girlfriend wraps her arms around him, leaning up on her toes to rest her chin against his shoulder as she smiles drunkenly at Aurora.

The smile that was on Aurora’s face suddenly disappears, and it’s replaced by a confused frown. She remains silent, waiting for Marcus to explain. He’s painfully aware that there’s no wiggling out of this situation.

“Aurora, this is Callie,” he begins, introducing the two girls. Callie is the one to extend her hand first, which Aurora hesitantly shakes. “Callie, this is one of my good friends, Aurora.”

“Nice to meet you,” Aurora says unconvincingly, but it goes unnoticed by Callie, who’s excited to meet a new person in Marcus’s life.

“You have such a beautiful name,” Callie starts, unwrapping her arms from around Marcus to lean up against the bar next to him. “If I would’ve known you had friends who worked here, we could have came to this bar first,” she says, nudging Marcus softly in the side.

Aurora’s eyes are narrowed, her head tilted in a manner as if she’s trying to figure out exactly what’s going on. It doesn’t take much to know that Marcus is mortified though, and even though it’s quite amusing, the only thing that Aurora can think about is Abby.

“So ugh… how do you and Marcus know each other,” Aurora finally asks, dragging her eyes from Callie to Marcus, which causes him hold his breath in anticipation of what’s to come.

“Oh! We used to date, but um… that was a long time ago.” Despite the awkwardness of the answer, Callie is still smiling… still unaware of Aurora’s skepticism.  
 

“Well… any friend of Marcus’s is a friend of mine,” she says through a forced, but believable smile. “What can I get you to drink?”

—

“Jake was asking about you today,” her father speaks up from his spot on the wooden deck, one that’s on the water and overlooks the entire lake. The sun had finally gone down, but a rope of soft lights framing the top of the patio cover is whats keeping the area dimly lit. 

She had walked up behind her father, her bare feet against the wooden deck giving her away with the soft creaking of the structure. 

“Enough about Jake already,” she gently groans, passing her father to take residence in a padded lounge chair herself. The breeze from the lake blows under the patio, lifting her long hair in the wind and tossing it around her just enough to tickle her face. “Sometimes I think you want to marry him,” she teases, earning a hearty chuckle from her father.

“He was asking for permission to take you out on the town tonight,” he discloses, bringing his glass of Scotch up to his smirked lips. 

“And I assume you told him I’d go,” she says with a flat tone, resting her glass of wine against the arm rest of her chair.

“I told him he’d have to ask you himself.”

And on cue, her smartphone begins to vibrate with a text message alert. She pulls it out of her pocket, ignoring her father’s blatant smile, and reads it aloud.

“Text message from Jake Griffin.”

“You gotta give him credit for being persistent, at least.” She unlocks her phone, reading the message that’s asking her to join him at a local bar with some of their old friends, ensuring her that she’d have a good time and even offering to pick her up.

“Dad, I know you want nothing but the best for me, and I hate to break your heart, but… I don’t think Jake is my guy,” she says before taking a sip of wine. 

“You’re telling me you have a better prospect?” She opens her mouth, ready to tell her father about the guy she’s given Jake up for, when her phone vibrates again. 

It’s Aurora, this time, and as her eyes scan the screen, her smile slowly starts to fade away. 

‘I’m at work. Marcus is here with some girl named Callie. Said she was his ex-girlfriend. Just thought you should know.’

Her brows knit together as she tries to run possible scenarios through her head, only none of them coming out to make sense to her. Maybe Aurora was playing some kind of prank on her? Maybe she had mistaken Marcus for someone else? Maybe… she was telling the truth? 

She suddenly has an urge to text Marcus; to ask him about this ordeal for herself, but something in the back of her mind persuades her to let the whole thing play out… to keep her cool until she knew for certain what was going on.

But even with the uncertainty of it all, it was still hard not to feel betrayed.

“Everything okay,” her father speaks up, pulling her out of her thoughts. She swallows, nods, and pulls up Jake’s text message thread.

“Yeah. Everything’s good,” she confirms, before typing a text back to Jake, accepting his offer to go out with him and for him to come pick her up in half an hour. 

—

He’s managed to get everyone out onto the back patio of the bar. Indra and Diana are in the midst of a game of giant Jenga, Jaha has run into a few of his classmates, and Marcus sits at a table nursing his drink. Callie is walking over after going back to the bar to get another drink, and Marcus knows he has to tell her about Abby now.

He knows there’s no good way or time to tell her, but it’s for the best… so no one gets hurt.

She sits down next to him, close, and he lets his eyes fall to his lap.

“Callie… what are you doing back here,” he asks simply, wanting to know her intentions first. She takes a second to gather her thoughts, realizing that he wants a serious answer.

“I guess I just missed you.” He remains silent. “And when Diana texted me, asking me to come hang out, I just… I couldn’t find a reason not to. And part of me was hoping that maybe we could…” She trails off, looking down shyly at her beer.

“That we could what, Callie,” he asks sternly.

“That we could give it another shot.”

“Callie-“

“Just- just hear me out, okay?” It’s hard to hide the concerned look on his face, because’s he’s worried about breaking her heart all over again. “It’s been three years since we’ve broken up. And I’m still not entirely sure what I did wrong the first time, but I-“

“I’m seeing someone,” he blurts out, unable to hold it in any longer. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner, but it’s not fair to you… or her,” he adds gently, bracing himself for the worst. “And I don’t know if this was one of Diana’s sick games, but I’m sorry that she drug you out here.”

She’s nodding her head slowly, as if trying to process this new piece of information, and the guilt is eating away at him. He can only imagine she must feel embarrassed, so he remains quiet until she’s ready to talk.

“I should’ve known some girl would’ve swooped you up,” she says with a sad smile, accepting the fact that he’s a taken man. “What’s the lucky girl’s name?” He’s taken back at how calm she is, but doesn’t know why he’d expect anything less. 

“Abby.”

“How’d you meet her?”

“At Indra’s party. She…” It’s hard to hide the smile that comes to his face upon the memory of meeting her. “She punched me in the face.” There’s a smirk on Callie’s face now, too.

“I like her already,” she muttered.

“Funny… Indra said the same thing.”

“So she punches you and steals your heart.”

“Something like that, yeah.”

—

It’s hard to contain his excitement when he watches her exit her front door, dressed in a tight black dress with black wedges that make her legs look even that much more incredible. And when he gets out of the truck to open up her door, he has to remind himself to play it cool.

“What did I do to change your mind?” She wants to tell him that it’s nothing he’s done, rather something that someone else has. 

“Are we going to sit in my driveway and play twenty questions or are you going to take me out?” He nods at her impatience, starts the engine, and they’re off. 

He takes her to a bar that attracts a bit of an older crowd, and for a second she feels out of place. She finds herself missing the nightlife back on campus, back with her new friends… back with Marcus. 

“Can I get you something to drink,” Jake is asking. She feels his hand resting on the small of her back, and it’s hard keep still. She knows it’s just a friendly gesture, but she can’t help but think of Marcus and how it should be his hand resting there.

“Um… a Martini is fine,” she says softly, over the light buzz of conversation and music. This isn’t her, she knows. She’s used to loud, fast music. Young college kids everywhere. Yelling over the DJ to talk to her friends. Drinking beer instead of a fancy mixed cocktail. 

When Jake returns with her drink, she eagerly accepts the alcohol ad takes a generous sip. He watches with a lopsided grin, shuffles his feet, and shoves a hand into his pocket.

“You okay,” he asks, taking a sip of his own liquor. She’s nodding her head, licking her lips free of any alcohol that remain, but then she stops and looks dead at him.

“I… can we talk… somewhere private?”

“Of course.” 

He takes the lead, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the building. They come out to an elegant deck that’s connected to the building, built over the river that runs through the city. It’s still early in the evening, so not many couples are out on the patio. He finds a secluded corner and makes a move to claim it with her.

“Everything okay,” he’s asking again, legitimately concerned. She hates that she has to do this, that she has to shoot any hopes he may have of getting with her. So she takes a deep breath and just… talks.

“There’s a guy back home that I’ve been kinda sorta seeing.” She doesn’t pause to take note of his expression, afraid he’ll be either angry or heartbroken. “He’s a great guy, and we’ve only been involved with each other for a couple of months, but… I just found out he’s with his ex-girlfriend right now and he didn’t even bother to mention it to me.”

“So this guy is your boyfriend,” he asks simply, no specific tone detectable. 

“I… we haven’t really talked about what we ‘are’,” she explains, suddenly embarrassed for ever bringing this up in the first place. “Never mind. Forget it. I’m sorry, Jake. I shouldn’t have-“

“Best thing to do…” He’s leaning against the metal railing, looking out onto the dark river. “Talk to him. Don’t accuse… just ask.” 

She’s speechless… shocked. And in that moment, all she can do is thank him for being the friend she needs during this time, and walks closer to him, letting her head fall to his shoulder as they both watch the slow current pass them by.


	8. Chapter 8

The fall break disappears before her eyes, and as soon as she had just gotten here, she’s leaving to go back to her new friends… and Marcus. She’s said her goodbyes, hugged her parents thousands of times, until she’s standing in front of Jake Griffin once again. In the airport.

Her bag is thrown over her shoulder, her suitcase already checked and thrown into the rest of the luggage, and Jake holds her tickets. 

“So what’s the plan when you get back?” She nods her head, as if they’ve rehearsed this a dozen times before.

“Talk to Marcus. Calmly.” He nods approval, hands her the tickets, and spreads his arms wide for her to walk into, which she does willingly. Guilt comes flooding in at the thought of never really giving Jake an actual chance, but she knows he’ll find someone worthy of his love soon, even if it’s not her.

“It wouldn’t hurt you to call or text every now and again, huh? Everyone here misses you, you know.” Her head falls in disappointment in herself, and she nods.

“I’ll work on it,” she promises, offering up one small grin before turning and walking towards her gate.  


She’s coming home a day early, and she figures it’ll be a nice way to surprise Marcus and the rest of the crew. So when she texts Aurora to meet her at the airpot for a ride, the text message she gets back in return isn’t one that she’s expecting.

“Good. We have a lot to talk about.”

“Everything alright,” she texts back.

“Just worry about getting home. We’ll talk soon.”

—

Hours later, a tired Abby Mitchell is dragging her feet through the airport. She spots Aurora standing next to the baggage claim, and instantly perks up. They share a hug, wait for Abby’s luggage, and walk back out to the car.

“Marcus still doesn’t know I’m back a day early. I can’t wait to see his face when I walk through the door.”

Aurora has started the car’s engine and buckled her seat-belt in before placing both of her hands on the steering wheel.

“Yeah… about that.”

The smile slowly fades from Abby’s face at her friend’s tone and can’t help but think of the worst. Panic sets in and suddenly, the car feels too small.

“So… I went back to their place that night he was out with that Callie girl. Everyone was drunk, and I mean… I’m not exactly sure what happened, but…” She trails off, not knowing how to precede with the information, and it nearly drives Abby over the edge.

“But what, Aurora?!”

“I saw him take her into his room. And I mean, maybe it was just to talk, but… they never came out.”

Silence. Abby’s sure her heart is beating so fast and hard, that Aurora can probably hear it. A wave of nausea hits her and she lets out a shaky breath she never knew she was holding.

“Maybe it was nothing, Abby. I’m not sure-“

“Let’s go,” she decides, her fingers coming up to sweep her lips in an attempt to keep from vomiting. And as her friend drives away, towards Marcus’s apartment, she wonders if she made the right decision in telling Abby in the first place.

The drive doesn’t take long, and when they’re parked in front of the building, it takes everything in Abby not to fling her friend’s car door open and slam it back shut. Her bags forgotten in the back of Aurora’s car, she stalks up the staircase that’ll lead to his floor. With every step she takes, her heart beats faster and harder until she thinks she might pass out. 

Aurora watches with a panicked face, never having seen her friend this angry, as Abby flings the door to the shared apartment open, revealing a startled Diana, Jaha, and Indra. 

“Where is he,” she asks, almost through a cloud of tears that threaten to swell in her eyes. The group look around at one another, assuming she’s talking about Marcus. But neither of them have to answer, because his door opens slowly and out he comes, shirtless and all. 

For a second, she relaxes, almost feels embarrassed by the scene she’s caused. And just as she opens her mouth to apologize for her foolish behavior, her worst nightmare walks out from behind Marcus… wearing his shirt… and only that.

“Abby,” he asks in confusion, but with a small smile, nonetheless. “You got in early!” He’s making a move to sweep her off her feet, ecstatic that she’s back home, but he doesn’t see what she see’s, and frowns when she takes a step away from him.  


“What is this,” she asks painfully, pointing to the half-asleep, half-naked girl that’s just walked out from his bedroom. “What in the actual fuck, Marcus,” she asks again, her use of language surprising everyone in the room. He turns back to Callie, and realizes what an idiot he was for not realizing. 

“It’s not what it looks like, Abby.” 

She rolls her eyes. Hard. And before he can explain anything, she turns to push past Aurora, who’s leaning up against the door to watch the catastrophe unfold. 

“Abby!” But she’s gone, and no one is making a move to stop her. “Fuck!” He rushes back into his room for his shoes, and nearly knocks Callie down on his way out to stop her. Shoe-laces dragging on the ground, he finally catches up with her as she makes it to the ground level. “Abby, stop!”

“You stop! Stop, and never…. ever come near me again!”

“You’re hysterical! Can you just…. hey!” He’s managed to get close enough to her and gently grab her arm to turn her around, which she jerks back instantly, disgusted with him.

“I’m hysterical?! I come back to find my boyfriend walk out of his bedroom with another girl and I’m hysterical? God! Who knew!”

“Nothing happened, Abby! She got drunk last night!”

“Oh, and she just couldn’t help herself? Is that it?”

“Jesus! No! She threw up all over her clothes! I let her wear a shirt!”

“How convenient, Marcus. Aurora mentioned your ex-girlfriend was back in town. If you wanted to get back together with her so bad, why didn’t you just say so? Consider me gone!”  


“Don’t do this,” She’s walking down the dark, empty street back to her own apartment. Her luggage be damned, she opts for getting it in the morning… just wanting to get away from him as fast as possible. But he reaches out and grabs her again, a little harder this time so she can’t pull her arm back. “I love you,” he confesses, spilling his heart out with every ounce of sincerity he can muster.

But her other hand comes across his face… hard.

“Don’t you dare,” she scolds, satisfied with the red mark she’s left across his cheek. “Don’t you ever say those words to me again.”

They’ve walked the entire distance to her apartment and up the stairs, fighting. She’s quick to unlock her door and slam it in his face, leaving him broken-hearted in her hallway. His head falls to her door, and behind the heavy wood, he can hear her starting to sob. 

He closes his eyes, wanting to rip the door from the hinges and take her into his arms. He can’t bare to listen to her cry, can’t take the crushing pressure it causes in his chest, so he leaves. She’s pacing in her living room, hands dragging down her face. Her lips are starting to tingle from her hyperventilating, and she knows she has to calm down before she causes herself to black out. 

Pressing her back up against the nearest sturdy wall, she lets her head fall back with a ‘thud’ as she sinks to the floor and draws her knees up to her chest. She hates herself for falling in love with him, hates herself for not having the courage to believe him, and hates him for leaving so easily. 

He makes it back to his apartment to find everyone still in the living room; their heads all pop up at once upon his arrival. Callie is the first one to stand from the couch, still in his shirt and a pair of underwear.

“Is everything alright,” she asks, wringing her hands together nervously. 

“You should get dressed,” he states dryly, leaving them without any other explanation, and slamming his bedroom door shut. And Aurora watches with a hidden grin from where she stands in the kitchen, nursing a full glass of wine.

—

A week passes before he sees her on campus again, and he makes a quick move to talk to her. She hasn’t seem him yet, because he’s sure if she would have, she’d have taken off and left him standing in the middle of courtyard. 

He corners her under the bricked walkway, near another building entrance, and she realizes there’s no way out.

“What do you want?”

There are bags under her beautiful eyes and he wants to punch the brick paneling besides her head at the thought of him causing her to lose sleep. 

“Can we talk?”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“You won’t even let me explain what happened?”

“I know what happened. You slept with your ex-girlfriend. Plain and simple.”“I did not.”

“I’m not an idiot. I know what it means when a girl comes out wearing another guy’s shirt.”

“It looks bad, I know this. And you have no reason to believe me. But Abby. It’s me. When have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?”

“Why have you never mentioned her? Why didn’t you let me know she was staying over at your apartment? In any case, wouldn’t you think that’s something to mention?”

“I… I’m sorry! I didn’t want to have that conversation while you were out of town!” Her eyes are burning into his, and for a moment, he thinks she’ll actually cave in and let him explain. But she pushes past him and hugs her books closer to her chest.

“I can’t talk to you right now. I can’t even look at you,” she confesses sadly, hurrying back to her car.

The weeks go by, and he never hears from her once. No texts, no phone calls; doesn’t even see her on campus. He visits her apartment from time to time, but she never answers the door. Even if she was home, he doubt she’d open up anyway. 

And in an attempt to cheer their friend up, Jaha decides to throw a party in hopes of taking Marcus’s mind off of Abby. There’s loud music, and everyone makes an effort to be there. Except Abby, and it kills him knowing that he’d trade all of this just to see her one more time. 

The party may not help, but the alcohol that Indra continuously hands him does. And before long, he finds himself stumbling into his bedroom… drunk. Callie is there, and watches it with devastating eyes. When she’s seen enough, she pushes herself up from the couch and finds Aurora. 

“Abby’s number. Do you have it?”

“Of course I do,” she scoffs. 

“I need it.”

And in a matter of seconds, she’s on the phone and praying Abby picks up.

“Hello?”

“Abby, it’s Callie. Don’t hang up. Please.”

“How did you get my number?”

“That’s not important.” She sighs. “Marcus is a wreck. I need to talk to you. Can we meet somewhere or… something?”“Now’s not really a good time.”

“Abby, please.”

There’s a brief pause and then Abby’s voice.

“Meet me at the coffee shop near the student union.”

“I’ll be there.”

Aurora watches as Callie slips on her shoes, grabs her keys, and heads out the door without another word, not bothering to tell anyone where she’s going. Looking around the rest of the room, taking note of who’s drunk, she slips away and heads down the dark hallway that leads into Marcus’s room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the awesome comments and kind words! I love you all! Sorry it took me so long to come back to this story! And I apologize for any grammar mistakes!

She can see Abby sitting in the coffee shop from where she sits in her parked car. She can’t help but feel partially responsible for what happened a few weeks earlier and wants nothing more than to make things right again. Gathering her thoughts, and expecting the worst, she enters the cafe and walks slowly to where Abby is seated in the back. 

“Hey,” Callie offers softly, looking down at the table and focusing on Abby’s coffee. 

“Hey,” Abby’s voice nearly echoes in the empty shop, and she nods towards the empty seat in front of her, beckoning Callie to sit. It takes a moment for Abby to start talking again. “I was surprised when you called me.” Callie remains silent. “I thought for sure I was out of the picture.”

“But you’re not,” Callie is quick to persuade her, which takes Abby back. “Look… I know it’s late, and I really appreciate that you came out to meet me… but you’re wrong. About all of it.” Her directness make Abby nearly laugh; this girl was brave.

“Excuse me?”

“About Marcus. What you think happened that night… it didn’t happen.”

“And I’m supposed to just believe you and forgive him?”

“It looks bad. I know that. But Abby… I’ve never heard him talk about someone the way he talks about you. I’ve never seen him so lost without someone. Honestly, I don’t even think he was this upset when him and I broke up.”

“Why are you here? Why are you trying to fix all of this?”

“I tried to get back together with him. I didn’t know he was with you. But he made it very clear, once he knew what my intentions were, that he was involved with you.”

“So… the t-shirt thing? You coming out of his bedroom?”

“Indra kept feeding me shots. I got sick and ended up in his bathroom. He took care of me; even let me take his bed while he slept on the floor.” 

Abby still doesn’t seem convinced, and it makes Callie sigh out in frustration. 

“I didn’t have to come here and explain all of this, you know. If I had really wanted to get back together with him, now would have been my perfect chance. But he’s my friend, regardless, and I know how much he cares about you. If there’s even a slight chance that coming here to talk helped nudge you to forgive him, I’m glad I did it… even if it means you get him, and I don’t.”

“Do you really mean that?” Callie nods, slowly.  


“I do.”

—

She offers Abby a ride back to the apartment after they share a few more words about Marcus. It wasn’t every day you could have a civilized conversation with your boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, but Abby was glad they could both be adults about it all. 

She liked Callie, and only hoped that they would get past the awkwardness and become friends one day. 

And by the time they make it back, the party is still in full rage. The two girls enter the apartment, music blaring and a game of beer pong in full swing. People are spread around the apartment, but there’s only one place she wants to be. 

She looks down the hallway, where Marcus’s room is, and Callie nudges her in that direction. 

“Go get him,” she winks, before leaving her new ally and heading into the kitchen.

Abby lets out a shaky breath, but makes her way to his door, knocks, and waits.

“I thought I told you to-“ The door sweeps open, and he stops when he sees her. He grows quiet, unsure of what to say. 

“We need to talk,” she says softly, pushing him back into his dark room and closing the door behind her.

“Abby, I’m sorry for every-“ She turns to face him after closing the door, gently grabs a fistful of his shirt, and pulls him down for a slow kiss. He’s stunned at first, and doesn’t kiss her back until her hand releases the material of his shirt and snakes up his chest, across his shoulder, and rests behind his neck. 

Their bodies still, with their lips still pressed together, until he leans forward and clutches her hips, effectively pinning her to the bedroom door. The back of her head hits the heavy wood as he deepens their kiss, and she thinks there’s no possibly way for him to get closer. His chest is tight against hers, so much, that it’s hard to breathe. She can taste the alcohol on his tongue, but she doesn’t care. Drunk or not, she still loved him with every fiber of her heart, and couldn’t wait any longer.

“Did you mean what you said,” she asks in between kisses and sighs, as his mouth leaves her to place a hot trail of kisses down her throat. “When you said you loved me,” she manages to get out, her voice growing weak with every touch and lick he inflicts on her skin.

“I meant every word of it,” he’s quick to answer her, his lips brushing against a sensitive part of skin below her collarbone. “I missed you so much,” he whispers in her ear before hooking his hands under her thighs, lifting her against the door. Her arms go around his neck and her legs around his waist. He pushes them away from the door, but the alcohol induced daze is enough for him to forget how to walk.

He falls to the ground, Abby on top of him, the two of them making a loud ‘thud’. 

“Oh my God. Are you okay,” she says, straddling his lap and sitting up to check his head. He sighs, laughs, and nods.

“I’m fine. Just a little drunk.”

She can’t help but join in with laughter at the thought of how ridiculous they probably look. She leans down one last time to kiss him before crawling off of him and helping him to his feet.

“Let’s get you into bed.” 

He gets into his bed first, but wraps his fingers around her wrist and pulls her onto the mattress with him. Effortlessly, he slides her across the sheets until her back is met with his warm chest. Her eyes close when his arm snakes around her, his hand coming to rest on her lower stomach. 

With his free hand, he pulls back the hair that’s hiding her neck, and presses a loving kiss to the skin he reveals, then another kiss to the top of her head. Her own hand finds his, the one on her stomach, and their fingers intertwine. 

“I’m never letting you go again,” he murmurs against her hair. 

“Good,” she says with a soft yawn, settling back against his body and letting sleep overcome her. Even with the party in full swing outside, it only takes the steady rhythm of his heart beat, the rise and fall of his chest, and his arms wrapped tightly around her under the sheets for her to fall asleep. 

And in the morning, she wakes up first, her eyes slowly opening to the bright light flooding in through the window. It takes a few blinks, a few yawns, and rubbing her eyes to finally wake her up. She rolls onto her back and turns to find Marcus on his stomach, his head turned towards her on his pillow. 

He sleeps peacefully, and a gush of adoration floods her veins. With a soft touch, she reaches out to slide her fingers through his thick, dark hair. He moans at her touch, but doesn’t wake up. He reaches out for her in his sleep, and she giggles when he crushes her to his chest. 

“Go back to sleep, woman,” he teases with a sleep-heavy voice that nearly melts her.

“It’s almost eleven o’clock,” she whines, fully awake now. 

“Alright,” he sighs, fully opening his eyes and releasing his hold on her to stretch. He rolls onto his back as she props herself up on an elbow, watching him with loving eyes. “Slept okay?” She nods her head.

“You?”

“Best night’s sleep in weeks,” he confesses. She opens her mouth to speak, but her stomach beats her to it, and Marcus’s eyes fall to her tummy. “Where are my manners? Let’s go get you breakfast.”

“Marcus-“

“No. We’ve got stuff here I can cook, I’m sure. Come on.” 

Pulling the covers away from their bodies, she shivers when the cold air meets her warmed skin. He doesn’t seem affected by it at all, but hands her one of his hoodies when he notices the bumps appearing on her skin. 

Opening his bedroom door, she follows behind him as they tiptoe their way across the apartment. 

There are plastic cups and empty beer cans everywhere. The place is a mess, but Marcus can’t seem to find it within him to be mad. Indra is fast asleep in the leather recliner that faces the front door. There are other party guests, friends of Jaha’s and Diana’s that are scattered about the floor, but Callie has curled up on the couch next to Indra, a wool blanket slipping off of her body. 

He watches as Abby slowly makes her way to the other girl, gently grabbing the blanket and pulling it back over Callie’s body. 

And it was in that exact moment, with his heart beating wildly, that he knew he had made the right decision. 

—

Later that night, he watches as she gets herself ready for another night of work. She’s standing in front of her bathroom mirror, passing a straightener through her long hair when he comes in from her kitchen.

“Are you sure you can’t just… call in?”

“No,” she laughs as she puts the finishing touches on her hair, and starts with her makeup. 

“Well… can you at least… put some more clothes on,” he begs, taking note of the short jean shorts that are rolled up on her thighs and the loose tank top that exposes the lacy bra-let she has on underneath. She doesn’t like it either, but she’s grown so accustomed to the work attire, that it’s nothing more than a second thought now. 

“Only a few more months and I’ll be wearing scrubs instead of shorts. I promise.” 

He’s leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, watching her get ready. 

“Do you guys think you’ll make it out tonight?”

“I’m sure someone wants to go downtown. I’ll send a group text later.”

It’s nearly six o’clock, and her shift starts in an hour. 

Once she’s satisfied with her makeup, she slips on her shoes and presses a kiss to his lips. She slides her apartment key off from the ring and slips it into his hand.

“Lock up if you decide to come visit,” she says, pressing one last kiss to his lips before leaving him alone in her apartment. 

He sends the group text moments after she leaves, and settles in to get some studying done while he waits for an answer. Indra is the first to reply, always willing to go downtown with her friend. Jaha and Diana are next to join, followed by Callie. 

They agree to meet downtown for ten o’clock, which arrives quickly. Marcus finds a parking spot down the strip of bars, and crosses the street when he see’s his group of friends. With them are two new faces.

“The gang’s all here,” Diana says cheerfully as Marcus catches up with them.

“Most of the gang,” Callie snaps, not quite forgetting about her new friend, Abby. 

“In any case, we’ve got two new members,” Jaha announces. “Marcus, these are the guys from my Management class.” The conversation was so long ago, but Marcus remembers. And sticks his hand out for the two men to shake. “Charles Pike and Jac Sinclair.”

“Nice to meet you guys,” Marcus says, extending a firm handshake to each of them.

“Is this the one that got punched in the face by his girl,” Charles speaks up, grinning from ear to ear as Indra is quick to confirm, and Callie’s eyes fall the ground.

“Speaking of, let’s go find that little firecracker,” Indra says, leading the group to the first bar of the night, the one that Abby is at. They each take turns walking in front of each other, leaving Marcus next to Callie.

“You okay,” he asks as they walk behind the rest of the talkative group. 

“I’m great,” she promises, looking up at him with clear eyes and a bright smile. He throws a friendly arm around her shoulder, pulls her in for a side-hug, and grabs the door from Pike as they reach the bar, letting Callie tuck under his arm as they group file into the bar.

He’s the first to spot her, working behind the bar frantically; pouring drink after drink for the dozens of guys hounding her. But when a break in the music comes, and she looks up for a second, she see’s her second family standing in the middle of her bar and smiles. 

Looking back at another bartender, she nods over to the group of customers she’s been helping, signaling for her to take over. It doesn’t take long for Abby to exit from behind the bar, and immediately run up to Marcus, who catches her with strong arms. 

“Hey,” she whispers into his ear, just before pulling back and planting a kiss to his lips.

“Whoa,” Pike says slowly, watching at the couple in front of him put on a display of affection. 

“Enough kissing. More drinking,” Indra says, nearly pulling Abby away from Marcus. 

“Fine,” Abby says reluctantly, catching sigh of Callie and smiling at the other woman. “First round is on me,” she winks before heading back to the bar.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work put me on call tonight, so I wrote this while waiting to get called in. And I finished it RIGHT as I got the call! Haha sorry for any grammar mistakes! Thanks for all the comments and kudos! :)

It doesn’t take long for the lot of them to find their way out onto the back patio, to their designated spot. Taking up a rather large table, big enough to fit the bunch, Marcus takes a seat between Callie and Indra. It’s getting late into the night, and everyone seems to be having a good time. 

Tall propane heaters have been dragged out to each table to fight off the cold. Their laughter is accompanied by steam from the frigid air, and even though it’s a bit chilly outside, it doesn’t stop them from wrapping themselves up in their jackets and sipping more beer.

“Abby told me what you did,” he speaks up after he’s sure no one else is listening. Indra is in a pissing contest with Pike, and the rest of the bunch can’t stop laughing at the exchange. Callie is pulled away from the spectacle at Marcus’s words.

“She did?” He nods, and reaches over to touch the neck of his beer with hers.

“That was very kind of you.” She offers up a small smile, and looks down at her lap. He recognizes that look, the look of complete defeat. 

“I like her, Marcus. You two are good together,” she admits, shyly. “And I’ve come to terms with it. If I can’t have you, at least she can.”

“Hey…” His fingers brush against hers to get her attention. Her eyes dart up from her lap to his face, and his knowing, silly smile seems contagious. She finds the corners of her mouth lifting without much effort. “I’m still here for you. You know that, right?” She nods, and holds up her beer in a manner that lets him know she wants to toast.

“Friends?”

The beer bottles ‘clink’ together and they each bring the rim to their lips.

“Forever,” he promises.

Theres a howl of laughter that threatens to break his concentration, but he’s able to hold Callie’s stare long enough for her to feel eased about their new relationship. And when he’s sure she’s content, he lets his attention roam to the others in the group.

It feels good to have everyone together again, out having fun, he thinks. And just as he thinks it can’t get any better than this, Abby pushes through the back doors while shrugging on a thick jacket to keep her warm, a metal bucket filled with ice and more beers shoved in various spots. She drops the bucket onto the table, earning applause from the group. She laughs, sarcastically takes a bow, and snatches a beer for herself before making her way over to where Marcus sits. On her way, she passes up Callie, who sticks her hand out for Abby to high-five.  


“Looking good, Abs,” she hints with a wink as the other girl touches her hand. Abby swings her head around the chair, pressing a friendly, drunk kiss to her new friend’s cheek.  


“Thank you.” She plops herself down into Marcus’s lap with her beer. “Can’t stay out here too long. Just wanted to check up on you guys,” she says as she flops down into his lap.

“How many people have bought you shots so far,” he asks playfully. He knew this was part of the job; was aware that other guys took their chances with her, bought her shots to impress her, but the girl had a tolerance like no other. And he was strangely proud of it, but more so of the fact that it never wavered her once. 

“Only five. Should’ve worn my other shorts,” she teases, which earns her a merciless tickle war. She’s squirming in his lap, careful to balance her beer as to not spill any on him. “I’m joking! I give!” 

“You know what we need to do,” Jaha speaks up, talking over the music and the laughter of the group. “Graduation party. Three of our own are graduating in a few weeks. I say a party is in order.” Indra, Kane, and Abby glance at one another at the mention of their upcoming graduation as he’s met with agreement from everyone else in the group.

And when it’s time for Abby to go back to work, she reluctantly plies herself from Marcus’s arms, gathers the empty beers, and heads back into the rowdy bar to finish her shift. There’s only an hour and a half left of the night, and no one wants it to end. 

Half an hour before the bar closes, there’s a familiar car that pulls into the parking lot besides the patio. Aurora steps out, bundled up like the rest of her friends, and the group beckon her over with loud voices. 

Marcus is the first one to notice that something about her is… different. She’s slow to approach their table, and he wonders what bad news she has to offer. She hadn’t replied to the group text message earlier in the evening, and Abby had informed him that she wasn’t scheduled to work with her. 

“About time you show up,” Diana scoffs, finishing the rest of her mixed drink.

“There’s still time. Someone get her a shot,” Indra jokes as Abby comes out from the back doors again, two mixed drinks in her hands. One, presumably, for herself. 

“So… I’m pregnant,” Aurora announces, effectively rendering the group silent. Diana’s jaw nearly drops, Indra’s lips press into a firm line, Jaha’s eyes fall to his lap, and Marcus can only stare at her in disbelief.  


“There you are,” Abby says, unaware of the bomb her friend had just dropped seconds ago. “This was for Diana, but I think you need it more,” she jokes, handing her friend the second alcoholic drink.

“I’ll actually take it, Abby,” Callie says, reaching up before Aurora can accept the drink. Abby laughs, and hands her the drink instead, then looks up at the rest of her friends, noticing how quiet everyone seems to be.

“You guys looked like you just saw a ghost. What’s going on?” She pries, taking a sip of her own drink. The group focus their eyes on Aurora, which clues Abby in, and eventually, she turns to her friend for answers. “Aurora?”

“I’m um… pregnant.” It takes Abby a second to process the information.

“Oh,” she lets out in a soft voice. “I… um… congratulations?” The words nearly send Aurora into another emotional whirlpool, and at the hint of tears starting to rim her blue eyes, Abby sets her drink down onto the table and wraps her friend up into her arms instantly. 

The two girls cling to one another.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Abby says gently into her friend’s ear, unaware of how the pregnancy happened in the first place. “We’re all here for you.” Marcus watches on grimly, letting his face fall into the palm of his hand. Aurora was so close to graduating, only two semesters behind himself. 

“Who’s the father,” Diana asks, which earns her a slap on the arm from Indra. “Ow! I’m sure everyone else wants to know!” She doesn’t get the hint, but Aurora breaks away from Abby’s hug to answer her anyway. If she couldn’t talk about it in front of her own friends, who could she talk to?

“That’s our second dilemma,” she informs the group, and Callie closes hers eyes in anticipation of the sheer second-hand embarrassment. “I don’t know.”

Silence befalls the group, until…

“The little shit is bound to be cute, anyway. Look at you!”

“Diana! Have you no filter? Shut up,” Callie stresses, trying hard not to let her grin show at Diana’s words. She was right, though. Aurora was gorgeous, and any child she conceived was bound to be cute beyond words, but tonight was definitely not a time for this conversation, and everyone besides Diana knew it.

—

They make it back to his place a little after three in the morning. Jaha and Diana are already fast asleep by the time they get there. He locks up the apartment as she makes her way to his bedroom, already stripping herself of the bar clothes and heading towards the bathroom connected to his room.

He catches her right before she pulls the shower curtains, and rids himself of his own clothes before jumping into the shower with her. They’ve done this countless times and he never once misses the opportunity to admire her body as she stands under the constant stream of hot water.

“Aurora having a baby… can you imagine?” Her words are muffled through the spray of the shower, and his arms slowly come to encircle her waist as she begins washing the makeup away from her face.

“It’ll be different, that’s for sure,” he says, completely at a loss for words. Aurora was another good friend of his, and although he had all the confidence in her to be a great mother, the idea was still… strange.

“I’m sure we’ll get our fair share of babysitting duty,” she jokes, trying to lighten the mood. “It’ll be good practice.” She turns in the shower, facing him and letting the water wet her hair. 

“You want children?” He doesn’t mean for it to come out as surprising as it sounded, it was just something they hadn’t talked about. “Not that I’m against the idea… I just… want to know what your thoughts are.”

“One day, sure,” she says nonchalantly. “Now isn’t really a good time… but I guess there’s never really a good time, is there?”

He nods in agreement, and they spend the rest of the shower in each other’s arms, letting the warm water nearly lull them to sleep. It takes everything they have to crawl out of the tub, dry off, and get dressed.

He pulls on a pair of baggy pants, remaining shirtless at her request, and he’s in the bed first. She comes out of the bathroom a few moments later, her semi-dried hair in a high ponytail and one of his clean shirts swallowing her whole. She crawls onto the mattress, his arms already out and ready to pull her in. As soon as her head hits the pillow, his lips find their way to her cheek.

“Goodnight,” he whispers into her ear, before they drift off to sleep.

—

In the morning, her phone vibrating underneath the pillow is what wakes her up. It’s Sunday morning, so she knows it’s not an alarm for school, which means it’s something else. With closed eyes, she seeks out her phone and drags it out from underneath her pillow. It takes a while for her eyes to adjust to the bright light, but when she see’s that it’s Aurora calling, she answers immediately.

“Hey,” she says, groggily into the phone.

“Did I wake you,” she asks apologetically.

“No,” she lies, propping herself up on her elbow. Marcus stirs next to her under the sheets, his arms reaching out for her once more. “What’s up?”  


“I just… I’ve been thinking about this whole pregnancy thing and I’m just kinda freaked out, you know?” 

“I’m sure that’s perfectly normal, Aurora. I’d be freaked out too.”

“Can I come over? To talk? I won’t take up much of your time, I promise.” She looks down at the man who’s nearly covering her with his body, and sighs.

“Meet me at my place in half an hour.” They hang up shortly after, and Abby runs her hand up and down Marcus’s back, her fingertips softly trailing against his spine. “Hey handsome,” she murmurs when he starts to stir awake.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

“I have to go back to my place for a few hours, okay?”

“What,” he pouts, much to her amusement. “We were supposed to spend the day together.”

“We will,” she promises. “It’s Aurora. She’s freaking out.”

“Ah. Right.” He still doesn’t have the energy to pick his head up from the pillow, but she knows he understands. “Have fun with that.” She laughs at his sleepy haze and leans down to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, then slips out of bed to get dressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo.... are you guys ready for Baby Bellamy!??! Haha


End file.
